


Tabula Rasa

by bshoo86



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:15:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28980984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bshoo86/pseuds/bshoo86
Summary: From Carl Jung, on the Trickster:" The so-called civilized man has forgotten the Trickster. He remembers him only figuratively and metaphorically, when, irritated by his own ineptitude, he speaks of fate playing tricks on him or of things being bewitched. He never suspects that his own hidden and apparently harmless shadow has qualities whose dangerousness exceeds his wildest dreams."Tabula rasa is a Latin phrase meaning 'a blank slate'. For Ren Amamiya, a young man who is forced to leave his hometown under less-than-ideal circumstances, his new life in Tokyo initially seems like anything but a blank slate. His only goal is to keep his head down and get through the next year as quickly and quietly as possible. However, the strings of fate are tugging him in a direction that no one could have possibly imagined. When numerous 'harmless shadows' in Tokyo begin to reveal their true intentions, Ren may have no choice but to abandon his desire to be left in peace and solitude.A re-telling of the P5 (incorporating P5R) story, with some deviations and tweaks to hopefully keep things fresh and interesting!
Relationships: Amamiya Ren & Niijima Makoto, Kurusu Akira/Niijima Makoto, Niijima Makoto/Persona 5 Protagonist
Kudos: 9





	1. Prologue: Part I

The A/C blasted just a bit too much, making him shiver. Between the dried blood and sweat, it made sense that he’d be cold. He knew better, though; the shivering had nothing to do with the temperature. Anybody would have a hard time reigning in their fear if they were sitting in a small interrogation room, a kilometer underground. The pulsing behind his eyes and sinus cavity felt like a drum line. Each wave of anxiety was matched by a spike in his blood flow, and it seemed as though his head would split open at any second. It took all his strength to not curl up into a ball, hide his face and see if that would hide the rest of him from his fate.

\---

Sae Niijima turned the volume down in the car. News channels in Tokyo should have known better than to buy into rampant speculation, but the information about the young man’s capture had set off every rumor mill in the bustling metropolis. It was only natural that some of the less ridiculous rumors end up making it to the major media sources.

 _But just how rational can any of these rumors get?_ Sae grimaced, and flashed a quick glance into her rear-view mirror. _It’s not like this whole situation isn’t ridiculous._

Her expression betrayed her as she reflected on everything that had happened. Less than a year had passed since the first wave of news stories hit, and Sae had joined the fray almost immediately. The initial stories sounded insane enough that they couldn’t be possibly true. However, they had involved Shujin Academy, and Sae refused to overlook anything that could affect her little sister’s education. Makoto Niijima was Sae’s junior by close to seven years, which should have made the gap much too small for Sae to feel like a mother. Circumstances don’t tend to care what *should be*; in this case, the lack of a parental figure for either of them put Sae in a bit of a tricky role, balancing between sister and mother.

“The leader of the Phantom Thieves has finally been apprehended, and now we all wait for the public statements to be issued by the police.” The radio seemed to have gotten louder just for this sentence.

Sae shook her head, trying to slow the rattle of these random thoughts. _Focus._ Her eyes narrowed. The reference that the radio had just made to the young man helped get her attention directed back on the road.

_A young man has been apprehended. I’m a Public Prosecutor, so I can’t go in with any preconceived notions. And yet… what will he be like? A tattoo sleeve? Or perhaps a shaved head, and some biker chaps?_

This line of thinking almost made Sae smile. Almost. As a prosecutor, the last thing she should have been doing was trying to guess what this man would look like. It was best to go in with a clean slate, and let the criminal inform Sae without her having already judged him. She turned on her blinker, and slowed the car down as she pulled into the parking lot.

\---

Several floors down, and at least two lengthy elevator trips, and Sae finally stood at the end of a dark hallway. It wasn’t poorly lit; in fact, the sterile lights gave the hallway an almost hospital-like quality with everything looking white-washed. No, the darkness of the hallway had a lot more to do with its history. Sae looked at the tiles of the floor, and the non-descript walls, and shuddered slightly. This hallway was dark with horrible memories for any who knew it, and Sae caught herself wondering how the criminal was handling this.

With a subtle jerk of her head, she cleared her mind of any thoughts. The only thing running through her head now was the _click-clack_ sound of her heels as she marched towards the solitary door at the far end of the hall. It wasn’t long before she reached the guard, who slowly nodded and moved to the side so that the elder Niijima could open the door.

What struck her first was that the young man at the table defied all of her expectations. The small red dots on either side of his nose showed where his glasses usually sat. At that moment, they were the only marks on his face that did not represent incredible amounts of pain. Every other blemish or spot that Sae could see was made by fists, boots, batons, and God knows what else. She almost gasped. Part of her had been prepared for this, since she could not remain blind forever to some of the methods of the police force. The other part of her could barely take in what she was seeing, and this part of her apparently had direct control over the queasy-sensation in her stomach.

Sae closed the door behind her, leaving the two of them alone. _Oh my God…_

She set her file folder and notepad down on the table, and that seemed to finally catch the criminal’s attention. He looked up at the prosecutor.

This time she couldn’t control her gasp.

The eyes, as dark grey as a foreboding thunderstorm.

The hair, jet black and shaggy. A few strands hung over his eyes.

A Shujin blazer over plaid pants, both looking like they would need replacement.

Pale hands and wrists that would show faint scars for the rest of his life, thanks to overly-tight police cuffs.

Sae’s eyes widened, and she couldn’t pull herself together and prevent the shock from showing.

_Ren._

_Oh my God._


	2. Prologue: Part II

_Ren._

_REN._

The boy with the dark hair that hung down into his eyes was barely moving. The crowds seemed to flow around him, and his sight was fixated on a spot not too far from him. As odd as it sounded, he could’ve sworn he had just seen blue flames and a malicious smile formed out of seemingly nowhere…

_AMAMIYA._

The rush and chatter of the Tokyo crowds was overwhelming, but the shout of his new guardian finally reached Ren. He turned away from the skyscrapers and T.V. screens that seemed to span forever in both directions, until he finally saw the voice. An older man, with a pointy goatee and slicked-back hair, held his hand up. His light pink button-up shirt and khaki pants would have seemed out of place in Ren’s hometown, but here in Tokyo, he almost looked underdressed. The guardian approached.

“Ren Amamiya, right?” The guardian’s voice was gruff and low, and his eyes seemed to pierce straight through Ren. “My name is Sojiro Sakura, I know your parents through a customer of mine. Looks like you’ll be my problem for awhile…”

His voice trailed off with a sigh, and Ren immediately felt a pang of guilt. _I’m innocent! I didn’t actually do anything, this charge is just wrong, I still don’t understand what’s going on…_ the words formed in Ren’s mind, an endless waterfall of thoughts and prayers towards Sojiro. But after everything Ren had been through in the past week, he felt a lot less compelled to talk to really anyone. It was just easier that way. So instead, he curtly nodded his hand and softly said,

“Please treat me kindly”.

\---

Café Lablanc was not very far from downtown. The quaint area, as Sojiro had called it, was much quieter than most surrounding towns, and would make Ren feel a bit more at home. Quaint was an interesting term, since most people in Tokyo would’ve exchanged it for “run-down”. But as Ren looked out the window of the car, he wasn’t really bothered. The less popular the place, the more he could just keep his head down and get this year over with.

“You’re not going to cause me any problems, yeah?” Sojiro squinted at Ren. “One misstep, and I have no reservations about kicking you right out of my place.”

Ren looked at Sakura-san, and nodded slowly.

“Quiet one, eh. Well, there’s not a lot of rules about staying here besides just using common sense. Don’t take stuff without asking, don’t destroy anything, you know. Your room is the attic. It could use some cleaning.”

Sojiro motioned towards the door of the café, and then handed Ren a small bronze key before reaching across and opening the side door for Ren.

“Are… you not coming in?”

Sojiro almost jumped at finally hearing the kid’s voice. Then he cracked a grin, albeit a slight one.

“I know the café doesn’t look very popular, kid, but try not to insult me. I make at least enough to not live in my own workplace.”

Ren stammered, trying to offer a quick apology.

Sojiro just smiled again and told the kid he was just joking. “Go on now, check out your new place. But remember,” Sojiro lost his grin for a moment, “one strike and you’re out”.

As much as Ren wanted to crack a quick joke about Sakura-san clearly not understanding baseball, he knew it was neither the time nor place. Instead, he resorted to what would eventually be known as his signature conversation cop-out: a simple nod.

\---

“Hello?” Ren didn’t know why he had called this out into the café. The door had been locked, and obviously Sojiro would have warned him if anyone else was living here. And yet, Ren couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched. Calling out helped him convince himself that he was truly alone.

 _Truly alone,_ he pondered to himself. _Not a great way to put it, but it certainly fits. I wonder how they’re all doing…_

His thoughts rested on his friends and family back home. Well, family back home. The friends had been all too quick to disappear after the incident. There were no texts, phone calls, or even simple greetings. And Ren’s family was less than helpful as well, almost seeming as though they wanted to rush the process to get him out the door, so that he wouldn’t impact their way of life.

Ren shook his head, and focused instead on the café. _This actually…isn’t awful. The strong smell of coffee… maybe I can get past the dustiness of the attic._

The attic had not been really all that clean; in fact, it looked more like no one had been up there in years. A thick layer of dust covered everything. In this context, ‘everything’ happened to mean “the table, bookshelf, and bed” that made up his room. There was certainly something to be said about living minimally, and Ren figured that he would learn quickly since his new bedroom was certainly sparse.

 _Maybe I can touch it up a bit, really make it my own,_ he thought optimistically. _I saw a second-hand store on the map of Yongen-Jaya. I’m sure they might have some trinkets._

Ren sat down on the bed and sighed. He was not physically exhausted, but the swirling maelstrom of emotions from today and the week prior had all collapsed on him at once. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the side of his bed with force, but he released the vice grip moments later. He wasn’t really angry, or at least not in the traditional sense. More-so just…fed up, and tired.

“Justice, my ass” he said at last, to no one in particular. He thought of the judge, the people in the courtroom, and the defense attorney who seemed to be more interested in just getting home quickly. His thoughts turned to the packet handed to him, with the statement inside that let him know that he was guilty of assault. Finally, he thought of the inability of his parents to meet his gaze when they told him he was going to be staying in Tokyo for his probation.

Ren’s spirits fell, and he laid back on the bed. It was moments before he dozed off, content to let all of his emotions wash over him and pull him into a nightmare.

\---

Ren’s eyes snapped open to a room that could only be described as ‘blue’. The color described the walls, the floor, the stripes on his jumpsuit, and the very air that seemed to be entirely still.

“This is definitely some nightmare…” Ren breathed out quietly. His eyes darted around, hating that his first experience with lucid dreaming was going very poorly.

“Don’t worry, Amamiya. This is most certainly not a lucid dream,” called out a deep voice with a light chuckle.

Ren jumped, or at least tried to. His ankle seemed to be weighed down by one very thick chain, attached at the far end to a metal ball. He turned his gaze back to the source of the noise, and wished immediately that he hadn’t.

“It seems the time has come for us to finally meet,” the voice was somehow human, while the source of the voice was decidedly not. “My name is Igor.”

The figure who introduced himself as Igor had a distinct shape that was more disconcerting than anything else. Igor’s height was closer to that of someone who just turned ten, but his features were that of an elderly man. His eyes and nose were what let Ren know that something was not right. The nose seemed to stretch on impossibly far, looking like the beak of a bird to some extent. His eyes were massive, and took up most of the space on his face.

If there was one feature that horrified Ren deep down, though, it was Igor’s smile. It seemed permanently fixed, stretched out from ear to ear. Despite the massive grin, nothing about his smile seemed to convey happiness.

After what seemed like minutes of silence, Ren’s voice finally cracked. “Where….a-am I?”

Igor chuckled. “Usually, you respond to an introduction with a greeting of your own, but I’ll forgive you this time since I already know who you are, Trickster.”

 _Trickster?_ Ren frowned.

Igor didn’t seem to notice the frown, since he continued. “You’ll understand soon enough where you are, and hopefully, _what_ you are. But for now, this will serve just fine as a way for us to begin our time together.” Igor waved a hand casually, as if he was an old friend dismissing

The number of questions that Igor’s statement just raised grew every time Ren thought through what he said. And yet, Ren struggled to find the words to form even a single question. He at least managed to ask the important one.

“Am I dreaming?”

Igor chuckled again, with a laugh that Ren assumed would be more appropriate coming from a demon that had just risen up from Hell.

“Trickster, your meek disbelief is charming for now. But hopefully, your rehabilitation will bring a sense of confidence and understanding with it.”

Ren lowered his gaze, trying to understand what on earth was happening. _Rehabilitation?_

“Justine. Caroline. Help our new friend get home.”

Ren looked up as two short girls, twins even, approached him.

“Time to go home, Inmate.” One said with a soft voice as the other shoved Ren forcefully back.

It wasn’t until this moment that Ren realized he had been standing in the opening of a prison cell. The door had been drawn completely to one side, making the room look like an alcove instead when Ren first woke up here. Now, the function of the prison cell was completely revealed as the two twins slammed the prison bars shut in front of Ren.

Panic ran over him. _Am I trapped here…?_

Sweat began to bead on Ren’s forehead, until he completely blacked out.

\---

“So, explain this to me again. No, wait. Don’t. We don’t have time. I’ll…I’ll keep up.”

Ren looked at Sae, and nodded curtly. When she had said start at the beginning, he knew that this was going to take awhile. But it couldn’t, since this was an interrogation room and Ren’s fate approached like a bullet train. She apparently had some idea of the urgency, or at least had her own deadline, since she thankfully wanted to push this conversation forward.

“I’m sure you will.” Ren spoke deliberately, keeping his gaze firmly connected to Sae’s own.

She grew a slight bit uncomfortable, seeing Ren covered in bruises and dried blood but still somehow so defiant. Not defiant towards her, but towards… well, she didn’t really know. That didn’t matter right now, though. She needed answers.

“What happened next?” Sae asked, hoping that Ren knew the pace necessary for this discussion.

“Shujin Academy.” Ren maintained his tone of voice from earlier, despite the clearly evident pain and difficulty he was experiencing.

Sae looked on, not wanting to interrupt yet.

Ren thought for a moment on what he was about to say. Shujin Academy was really where this all began.

_Where the Phantom Thieves began._


	3. Chapter 0: The Fool

The blazer fit nicely. The silky black of the jacket contrasted jarringly against the plaid pants, but in a way that Ren thought looked fairly… _cool._

 _Stop it,_ Ren’s voice in the back of his head sounded stern. _You aren’t really supposed to enjoy any of this._

A smile and small laugh broke through Ren’s lips, and he shook his head. His first day at Shujin would be miserable enough as it is. Might as well try to enjoy the little things. Like how much time he had before he had to catch the train… _oh shit._

The first day was supposed to be essentially an introduction to the school. Ren was to arrive a couple minutes early, meet his homeroom teacher and the student president, and then prepare for the rest of the day. Which is why Ren sprinted out the door in a panic.

“HEY! Don’t break anything!” Sojiro shouted as a blur of untidy black hair zipped past him. “Damn kid…”

Ren hardly heard him as he bolted through the front door, and around the corner towards the subway station. He could definitely still make it on time to the meeting this morning, but it would be tight. Raindrops splashed off of his glasses as Ren swore under his breath.

 _At least it’ll hide any sweat from all the running._ Ren was not the least athletic person, but not exactly a marathon runner either. But it wouldn’t matter, since he had to be on time for the first day.

Ren was finally a block away from Shujin. He saw familiar dark blazers all around him, as students milled about. Procrastination before homeroom wasn’t uncommon, but Ren couldn’t afford that luxury this morning. He stopped for just a moment under a store’s awning. The rain poured in front of him, so he checked his watch.

 _I’m actually sorta on time…_ he smiled a bit between gulping breaths, trying to slow his heartbeat. _Hm?_

His heartrate became the last of his worries as the student next to him removed their hood. Golden curls bounced out, flowing around the pale face of a female student. She was dressed the same as Ren, but with her blazer’s sleeves rolled up to her elbow, and a red zip-up hoodie underneath that ended just before her skirt did. She smiled brightly at Ren, and started to open her mouth.

“Ann-chan!” someone yelled as a small sedan screeched to a stop next to the two students. The window rolled down to reveal a man in his mid-to-late thirties, wearing black joggers and a white polo. “Tamaki!”

She looked away from Ren, and cast her eyes downward briefly before nodding. She climbed in the door before Ren could really even react to what had just happened. He had just enough time to see her smile completely fade into a sad grimace.

“Damn…” a blonde-haired guy stopped next to Ren just as the car pulled away. “I thought… maybe I could convince her to not get in. Ugh, he’s just such a…creep.”

It took a moment before the student looked Ren up and down.

“Hmmm, do I know you?” he said with one eyebrow up. “I’m Ryuji, a second-year here.”

“I’m Ren. Ren Amamiya. I’m a new…transfer student.” A quick sigh escaped Ren’s lips as he realized he’d probably be repeating this a lot today. At least he wouldn’t have to talk much about why he was here. No one besides the school’s faculty and staff were supposed to know.

Ryuji’s eyes widened. “Dude. Not gonna lie, you don’t look like you could really pull off an assault. Props, I think.”

Ren couldn’t breathe. “How’d…how di-did you…” _So much for just the teachers knowing. Shit, this could be way worse than I thought._

“Something tells me I’ll get a full story later, but for now, let’s make sure Shujin’s newest criminal mastermind makes it to homeroom a bit early” Ryuji chuckled, completely surprising Ren. “C’mon, alleyway is way quicker. Follow me.”

Ryuji marched down the alley next to the awning they had been standing under. Ren looked once at the street and torrential downfall, and followed the streak of blonde hair. Neither student noticed the beeping of Ren’s phone, or the almost ethereal laugh that echoed off the brick walls around them.

\---

_Not sure what I expected. Definitely not this._

Both boys had to pick their jaws up off the ground when they looked out from the alley towards the front gate of Shujin Academy. Or at least, what was usually the front gate of Shujin.

“Fire and brimstone theme? Is it a culture day?” Ren said out of the side of his mouth, quietly.

“Where the hell are we, dude?” The quip had apparently gone completely over Ryuji’s head.

Ren looked down the street in both directions, just as confused. “What do we do?”

“I guess – I mean, we don’t have much of a choice, right? We’ve gotta check it out.” Ryuji gingerly stepped closer to the massive castle before them. His first step a success, he decided to slowly march across the street.

Ren followed not far behind. It wasn’t long before they crossed through the red-iron gate and made it to the massive oak double-doors at the entrance to the castle. Thankfully, a light push seemed to be enough to swing one door open, enough for the boys to slide in.

Perhaps not as lucky was the welcoming committee. As soon as the two students stepped through the foyer and peered down a hallway, a hard thump at the back of Ren’s head sent stars across his line of sight.

“HEY!” Ryuji shouted, but his shout was cut short. Ren saw his companion’s face hit the floor just before everything went dark.

\---

Bars. Yet again, the familiar iron columns. As Ren’s eyes opened, his first thought flew to the forefront without restraint.

 _I’ve gotta stop waking up to this shit…_ Ren shook the cobwebs out of his head. _Where are we? And what the_ hell _is going on?_

Ren’s gaze swept the room, and finally found Ryuji. He was slowly getting up to his feet.

“What is going on dude?” Ryuji whispered under his breath. He slowly reached for the prison bars, hoping to get a glimpse around the room and at least get some idea of where they were. No sooner had his hands wrapped around the cage, when what looked like a baton flew at almost inhuman speeds. It cracked across Ryuji’s knuckles.

”DAMN IT!” Ryuji pulled his hands back, quick as lightning.

With a menacing, almost meniacal laugh, a tall silhouette rounded the corner. The man from the car earlier was standing on the opposite side of the prison bars from the two students now, and Ren could barely wrap his head around what was going on. He looked almost the same. The man himself was similar, except his voice had something demonic in it. His attire had completely changed from the morning; he now wore a red velvet cape, golden crown, and purple Speedo.

“Ryuji, Ryuji…still a troublemaker I see? You shouldn’t interfere here. I saw you try to prevent Ann from getting in my car this morning. You don’t get it.” The man spat through the door, landing a spot just shy of Ryuji. “I own this place. This is MY castle. Ann is MY girl. I OWN HER!”

The man was full-on screaming at Ryuji now.

“KAMOSHIDA! What the ‘effing hell is going on??” Ryuji yelled back. It sounded a bit weak, but Ren could sense the fury starting to build. “Just – just let us go!”

The man – Kamoshida, Ren assumed – slid the door to the cell open and stepped in. He stood about a foot taller than either boy, and his clothing choice showed off defined abs. _So, taking him on isn’t really a choice_ , Ren thought to himself. Even if they could have fought two-on-one, it wouldn’t have mattered since two large golden knights stepped in behind Kamoshida. _This is making less sense by the minute_.

Sensical or not, the pain felt real as one of the knights slammed Ren up against the wall. The forearm just under Ren’s chin certainly felt real. And the look on Ryuji’s face told him that he felt real pain too, when Kamoshida kicked him in the gut. Doubled over, Ryuji had just enough time to look back up at his torturer as a gloved hand smacked him across the cheek. The pain was enough to cause tears to well in Ryuji’s eyes.

“Eff…you…Kam…o…” Ryuji could barely spit out his sentence between labored breaths.

Kamoshida just laughed as he beckoned the second guard over to him. With a look that spelled murderous intent, the captor drew the blade out of his guard’s sheath.

“Shut up, you worthless little _shit_.” The last word wasn’t really spoken, more-so it was spit out in pure disgust. Ren struggled against the guard who had him pinned, but it was to no avail. He kicked a few more times before letting his shoulders slump. It was hopeless.

_HMM. SO THIS IS IT, THEN? THIS IS THE REBELLIOUS SPIRIT INSIDE YOU. THE SPIRIT OF SOMEONE WHO IS GOING TO LET THEIR COMPANION DIE._

_What? Who –_

Ren blinked. No one in the room had reacted to the booming voice, and it looked as though time had slowed to a snail’s pace. Even the burning orange flames of the torches licked the wall lazily.

_DON’T WORRY, CHILD. FOR NOW, IT IS JUST YOU AND I. BUT WE DO NOT HAVE LONG._

_I AM THE SPIRIT OF REBELLION WITHIN YOU. YOUR PERSONA._

_I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO CALL ON ME._

_IT IS TIME TO TRULY UNLEASH YOUR WRATH ON THOSE WHO OPPOSE YOU. THOSE WHO CARRY OUT INJUSTICES IN THIS WORLD._

_I AM THOU. THOU ARE I. YOU MAY CALL ME…_

_ARSENE._

With this final word, the pressure behind Ren’s eyes and forehead went from that of a mild headache, to a force that seemed like it would explode through his skull. He no longer had a choice; a blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the prison cell. Kamoshida and the two guards looked at Ren, showing first anger, and then…fear.

His glasses were gone, and all that Ren could feel on his face was a mask… something similar to one worn at a masquerade ball, maybe? Whatever it was, it was not coming off easily. His fingers clutched the edges in a panic, ripping it away from his face. Blood poured forth from around his eyes. It would have alarmed him, but his attention was quickly redirected to the blue flames that seemed to erupt around him.

Suddenly, there was a brief calm. The guard who had him pinned was lying against the opposite wall. The guard’s arm raised briefly, reaching for Kamoshida, before the golden suit of armor shattered into fine black mist. The remaining people in the room turned back to Ren, and to the new figure next to him.

The figure was nothing short of terrifying. Blood red pants and a blazer of the same shade laid overtop a black waistcoat, and a black top hat to complete the attire. The abnormality extended to the actual figure itself. The face was somehow not present, with instead the shadow displaying a demonic grin etched in raging red flames. The fingertips and feet were not human, but instead extended into demonic claws. Erupting out of the back of the red blazer were four wings, resembling bat wings but with significantly more of an evil flair.

“Step away from him.” Ren’s words were sharp and loud. His voice didn’t sound much different to him, but it certainly carried more weight. Seeing Kamoshida hesitate, he continued. “I don’t think you’re the one in control anymore.”

Kamoshida backed up, and shot a quick glance at his remaining guard. That was all Ren needed. Without really knowing why, Ren called to the demon next to him. “ARSENE!”

With a malicious laugh, Arsene released a stream of red, black and gray energy intertwined. It crashed through the front of the guard’s chestplate, and the golden armor dissipated as quickly as the first guard’s had.

Kamoshida looked terrified. He turned and ran out of the cell and down the length of hallway. Ren looked as though he would give chase but then fell to one knee. He was panting.

“Dude…” Ryuji just looked at Ren with huge eyes. “I, uhh, didn’t know you could do that. Well, I mean…what – what was that?”

“He just woke up his persona! Took ya long enough, but at least you pulled it off before anyone died. Hmmm, you could be useful, frizzy.”

Both Ren and Ryuji looked towards the opening of the cell, shocked. A small figure stood before them. It looked like a black and white cat, but stood up on hind legs. There was a slightly cartoon-ish vibe to the little figure, too.

“The name’s Morgana. I’ll catch yours in a moment, but first we need to get your friend safety. He’s gonna be exhausted for a bit here. That was pretty insane.”

Ryuji nodded, and ducked his head so that he could loop Ren’s arm behind it. He lifted up with his knees, and supported Ren while they walked behind Morgana. “Sweet get-up by the way, Ren. Not sure where you got it from, but that’s the least crazy thing I’ve seen all day.”  
  
Ren glanced down to look at his clothes, thoroughly confused. His uniform for Shujin was gone; instead he wore a full-length black coat with tails and a grey waistcoat. From under his sleeves poked out two red gloves, and his shoes sharpened to a point. His free hand reached up to graze his face, and he felt the mask still sitting on the bridge of his nose. Something told him the painful ripping from the first time would not likely be repeating.

A few minutes of following Morgana passed while she explained what happened to them, and finally the boys found themselves out front. A beeping came from Ren’s phone, and this time both students paid it more attention. A short moment later, and the pair found themselves out front of Shujin, dressed normally.

“Woah.” Ryuji just shook his head. “I still don’t fully understand this whole thing. Ugh, well, we can figure it all out after classes. Meet me up on the roof this afternoon, dude. See ya!”

Ryuji took off, and Ren looked at his watch. _Super late._ He still felt exhausted, but he’d have to push through today regardless.

He took one step forward and steeled himself for the rest of his first day at Shujin Academy.


	4. First Day of School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren and Ryuji barely made it out alive from Kamoshida's castle, and so far things are off to a pretty rocky start at Shujin Academy. 
> 
> My own personal first day of high school involved getting a horrific picture taken for my school ID that would not change over the next four years, followed by managing to forget any money for lunch. So frankly, I think I had it a bit worse than Ren did.

_Click. Click. Click. Click._

Ren could barely make eye contact with his homeroom teacher as she tapped her heel on the floor in front of him. He kept his eyes on the floor instead, counting the individual tiles.

Finally, she sighed. “By now, you know you’ve got to make a good impression here. And I was hoping you would, for both of our sakes. So, do you honestly think being a few hours late on the first day was a proper start?”

Ren tried to lift his gaze and respond, but his words failed him. He instead just shook his head meekly.

She sighed again, this time in resignation. She sat down in front of him, behind her desk. The sounds of kids chatting outside could heard through the windows, as everyone enjoyed their lunch break.

“Look. This first time, I think we can maybe just…let it go. It’s a big city, and a complicated subway system. I’d rather chalk this up to you still getting adjusted to Tokyo. But, you should probably find time to apologize to the student council president. She waited this morning with me for introductions and didn’t seem thrilled at your tardiness.”

Ren nodded this time, the red in his cheeks getting hotter by the minute. He felt guilty, but how on earth would he explain what happened? Better just to swallow his pride this time.

“I’m Sadayo Kawakami. I’ll be your homeroom teacher, and your Japanese instructor. You’ll meet everyone else throughout the week. Lucky for you, you still get to introduce yourself since our first Japanese class is this afternoon.”

The color drained out of Ren’s face. Introducing himself made him nervous on its own, but something Ryuji had mentioned earlier struck him. _Everyone already knows about my record. This will be interesting._

“Now, go. Hurry, grab some lunch.” Kawakami shooed him away, turning back to the stack of papers on her desk. Ren noticed for the first time since meeting Kawakami that she had deep bags under her eyes. He felt horrible, and hoped that it wasn’t his transfer-in that was adding to her stress. He had been dismissed, though, so he stood up to leave.

-

Ren held his bento box in his hands, using just one chopstick to push the food around the edges and stir everything together. No matter how many times he combined and separated his food, he couldn’t seem to build up an appetite. Too much had happened already today, and he needed to at least resolve one thing for now. He stood up, hoping that he could find the student council office before lunch ended. _Tackle this first, and then work on the whole situation from this morning after school. Sounds like a plan._

Thankfully, it only took a few minutes of searching before Ren stood before the council-room door. A few deep breaths to build courage, and Ren knocked softly on the door. The handle wasn’t locked, so he peeked his head in.

“Hello?” Ren said, steeling his nerves.

A brunette girl wearing the tradition uniform, sans blazer but with an added halter top, turned around in her chair. She appeared to be eating alone in the room, with files next to her on one side and a half-finished lunch on the other.

“Oh, hi. Can I help you?” She mumbled through a mouthful of rice, evidently surprised that someone visited during lunch.

“I’m…umm…my name is Ren Amamiya. I’m the new student.”

“Oh.” Her eyes narrowed. A little burst of breath came out her nose as she swallowed the rest of her rice. “How kind of you to _finally_ make it.”

Whatever Ren had expected from the student council president, it wasn’t this. She went from demure to fiery in a blink. All of his planned apology speech went out the window, and he considered hiding under the nearby desk to avoid her gaze.

“My name is Makoto Niijima, and I’m the student president here.” Makoto’s eyes had a tinge of red to them, and while Ren could tell this was a natural eye color, he couldn’t help but imagine that the red got more vibrant the angrier that Makoto got. “You’ve already talked to your homeroom teacher, hopefully?”

For the second time today, the Japanese language seemed to have abandoned Ren. He just nodded.

“Good.” Makoto seemed to be analyzing Ren, her gaze piercing him almost viciously. “I’m here to serve the student body, so if you need anything you just have to ask me. I’m here most of the time.” Her arms motioned to the room around her, and Ren couldn’t help but wonder if she often didn’t have company in here.

Makoto suddenly looked thoughtful. “You don’t look like the type that would…” She put a hand over her mouth as her eyes shot wide-open. “I-I-uh…”

Ren just looked at her as his heart sank. He knew this would happen, but a little voice in the furthest back of his mind kept saying that maybe only Ryuji had seen the leaked report. The little voice was silent now. If the student council president found it, then surely almost everyone else had. Finally, he looked at her and suggested softly, “The type that would commit assault?”

Makoto went dark red and sputtered, trying to find a route to get away from this conversation.

Something deep down inside Ren roared, and a steely firmness found its way into Ren’s departing comments.

“If it’s alright, I have to get back to class. Being late twice in one day would be… _criminal_.”

-

“ _I heard he stabbed him, but they just charged him with assault because he’s a minor.”_

_“No way, he didn’t stab the other guy. He only beat him up, cause he was sending a message for the yakuza.”_

_“Don’t be an idiot. He’s too young to be in the yakuza.”_

_“That’s just what they want you to think, Shinichiro. When we find out you’ve been killed in your sleep, we’re gonna say we told you so.”_

_“How would that help?? I’d already be dead!”_

It was as bad as he possibly could’ve imagined. The incessant chit-chat was entirely made up of rumors about what Ren’s record meant. Somehow, someone had leaked his report online and it seemed like every student had read it.

“Shush, quiet down everyone. Thank you, Ren, for introducing yourself. Your seat is back behind Takamaki.”

Ren trudged back to his desk, and set everything down. _Only a year. I can make it a year. Maybe it’ll fly by._

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a pencil, pushing against his hand on the desk. He looked up to see the blonde girl from earlier, the one who had gotten into Kamoshida’s car. His mind briefly wandered to the events of the morning, but he focused on tackling those later.

“I heard it right, it’s Ren, yeah?” Ren nodded in affirmation to her question. “I’m Ann.”

Ren gave her a small smile, silently praying that she wouldn’t have follow-up questions related to the rumors he could still hear going around. She opened her mouth, and then seemed to pause. Finally, she settled on just smiling awkwardly back before turning towards the front of the classroom.

The rest of class passed normally, or at least, as normal as it could be.

-

After meeting up with Ryuji on the roof after school, there was at least one bright point of the day. It seemed to Ren like he had made one steadfast friend here, since he and the blonde troublemaker had a lot in common. Both of them were still stunned by the events of earlier, and decided to try and figure out more during a return trip. The two boys had exchanged info before Ren made the long trek back to Yongen-Jaya.

Leblanc was devoid of customers, and it looked like Sojiro had closed up early. Ren let himself in the front door with his set of keys, made some food, and decided to call it a day. He had made it through day one, but felt completely drained. The events of the morning continued to swirl around his head, and Ren couldn’t understand why he was able to do what he did. He longed to question Arsene or Morgana. Unfortunately, Morgana had led the two boys to the entrance to the castle, but took off before any conversation could take place. Arsene had protected the group as they walked, but stopped at the front gates. Ren remembered clearly what the demon had said in his booming voice…

_I MUST LEAVE YOU NOW. FRET NOT, FOR YOU AND I WILL MEET AGAIN. NEXT TIME WE SPEAK, YOU WILL BE ON THE VERGE OF CONQUERING YOUR FATE._

_I LOOK FORWARD TO OUR DAY OF RECKONING._

… with that, Arsene had vanished. Ren tried to call out for him then, but nothing happened. Perhaps he should’ve felt more worried, but with the pace of everything that had happened, Ren hadn’t had a moment to even really review the brief conversation.

“So I’m alone. Again.” Ren laid back on his bed, closed his eyes, and said this aloud but to no one in particular. His room was empty and no one was downstairs, so he felt a bit less insane talking to himself.

“Not really alone! I mean, Ryuji definitely seemed like your friend.” Ren bolted upright, looking for whomever the voice belonged to. “Plus, you’re kinda stuck with me for the moment. I’ll be needing your help.”

Ren looked at the windowsill, where a black cat lounged, one tuft of white hair on its face making it more visible.

“Okay. Okay, now I might actually be going insane. Cats can’t talk.” Ren ran his fingers through his hair, blowing air out his lips.

“Well, duh. If they’re a cat. Which I’m clearly not.” The cat – or, not-cat? – was definitely the one talking. “I’m a human! Who just…looks like this over here. Whatever. Nice to see you again.”

Ren stared.

“Morgana?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this chapter alongside one more, so I'll probably just leave my personal comments till the end of the next chapter if that's cool!


	5. The Chariot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In divination with tarot cards, the cards can have different interpretations depending on if they are pulled from the deck as 'upright' or 'reversed'. Generally, 'upright' carries a positive connotation, while 'reversed' carries a negative connotation. 
> 
> For example, the Chariot is the seventh Major Arcana. The image is of a figure in a chariot being pulled by two sphinxes, one black and one white. When this card is pulled from the deck in a 'reversed' position, the contrasting colors represent the opposing forces that the figure is struggling to control, which leads the figure to lose sight of their goals as the sphinxes focus more on fighting than on moving forwards. 
> 
> However, when this card is pulled 'upright', it tends to represent a journey where the figure overcomes obstacles through sheer hard work and determination. And... maybe a bit of a headstrong, stubborn attitude as well?

It hadn’t taken long to get used to a talking cat, even though it seemed like only Ryuji and Ren could hear him. It also hadn’t taken long for Ren and Ryuji to become close friends. And it most certainly hadn’t taken long for Ren to hate Kamoshida just as much as his new friend did.

The gym teacher was a previous Olympic medalist, bringing fame and recognition with him when he came to Shujin Academy. This meant that the faculty and staff adored him, and he could really do no wrong. Well, as Ren and Ryuji discovered, he could do _a lot_ of wrong. That didn’t mean that he would get in trouble for it; the Principle refused to believe any negative rumors surrounding Kamoshida. And so, the perpetual abuse of the men and women’s volleyball teams only got worse.

-

“This is _bullshit_.” Ryuji seethed, shadow boxing what Ren could only assume was Ryuji’s imaginary version of Kamoshida. “I just – I mean, there’s gotta be something we can do.”

“Patience, Ryuji. Ren is improving a ton, and since you’ve discovered your own persona, you’ve come a long ways, too. That doesn’t mean you two are ready.” Morgana spoke from her usual perch on Shujin’s roof, on top of one of the A/C units. Ryuji and Ren sat in desks that had been left up on the rooftop.

Ryuji grinned at the mention of the prior day’s events. The trio had made a few more excursions back to Kamoshida’s castle, to train Ren for the most part. At first, Ren had no clue what to do without Arsene. The problem was quickly resolved though when Morgana’s persona, Zorro, had knocked down an enemy, only for the shadow being to explode into blue fire and fly towards Ren’s mask. Since that moment, Ren had intuitively been able to call on the previous enemies that he had absorbed this way. With Ren being able to rotate through an arsenal of spirits, and Zorro being a fairly strong fighter himself, the trio usually could make quick trips safely. On yesterday’s trip, an enemy had almost bested Ren and Morgana when Ryuji’s feelings of uselessness and frustration finally cracked him. A few moments of terror later, and Ryuji stood in front of his own persona, Captain Kidd.

“Man, I’m just glad I can actually help now. This is all so crazy, but SWEET.” Ryuji punched the air as he talked, bringing a chuckle from Ren.

“The more, the merrier! Especially since now I get to make _both_ of you help me.” If a cat could easily grin, Morgana would be pulling that at that moment. “One random delinquent who can call on a thunder persona, and one criminal who can…do the impossible.” Morgana made the weird cat-grin and shook his head. He had already explained to Ren that the ability to call multiple personas was unheard of. The cat had no clue why Ren was able to do this, but it was insanely useful.

Ren winced slightly at being called a criminal and tried to cover it up, but Ryuji noticed. “Dude, you know we don’t think you’re really a criminal.”

Ren sighed, and then smiled. “I know,” he spoke finally, “I just feel bad that you guys are stuck with me. The rumors will keep getting worse, you know.”

“Which sucks, because before meeting you, I was known as the school’s golden child.” Ryuji said with scathing sarcasm. Ren couldn’t help but laugh, glad to finally meet someone who could care less about his record. “Plus, you being a hardened criminal mastermind will help us take down Kamoshida. And then you can get back to your international drug wars, or smuggling, or whatever it is you do with your free time.”

Ren rolled his eyes, still laughing. “So the friendship ends once we figure out how to stop Kamoshida?”

“NO WAY!! Dude, I can’t believe you’d even say that. Even the greatest villains in history had second-in-commands.”

“Plus,” Morgana cried out over top of the two boys, “you guys still have to help me! Don’t go back on your word now.”

Ren just nodded at Morgana cheerfully and said “Of course.”

“Alright kitty, so explain to us again what this idea of yours is? You said we’re going to…steal Kamoshida’s heart? Or something?” Ryuji raised one eyebrow at the cat as Morgana hissed at Ryuji.

“I’M NOT A KITTEN!”

“Okay, okay hahaha! Just get on with it!”

“Frizzy, keep your idiot friend in line!...alright, alright. So, just listen to me and save questions for the end…”

-

“I want in. It doesn’t matter what you guys are doing or how you’re doing it, I just want in.” If looks could catch fire, Ann’s glare would’ve been a raging inferno in that moment.

Ren was still speechless, sitting with his eyes fixed firmly on the ground. The trio (including Ryuji) found themselves by the vending machines in the courtyard, as pale as they could be. The events of the day were running through each of their heads, especially Ann’s. Nothing had ever been scarier to witness than the sight of Shiho Suzui on the rooftop of Shujin Academy. 

_Shiho was – IS – my only friend._ Ann shook her head, only making the tears stream down her face a bit quicker. She stared at Ren and Ryuji again, and stamped her foot. “I don’t care what you say, I’m coming.”

Ryuji garbled his words, unable to form a response. The air was heavy in their little corner of the courtyard. Finally, Ren spoke softly. “It’s dangerous.”

Ann looked like she was ready to scream at him. In fact, she was. “SHIHO JUST JUMPED OFF THE ROOF! I DON’T CARE IF IT’S-”

Ren stopped her in her tracks by looking up at her. The glare off of his glasses hid his eyes, but something told Ann that the piercing gaze of his would have made her shudder. A moment of intense silence hung between the two. Finally, Ren continued. “I didn’t say no. I’m just…warning you.”

Ryuji looked over at his frizzy-haired friend, and opened his mouth to say something. He never actually got to start his sentence, though, since Morgana landed on his shoulder at that moment. The timing had felt right for the cat to intervene. “I think Ren might be on to something here. There’s something fiery about her, I think she’ll be okay. Ren, Ryuji. You guys sure about stealing his Treasure?”

Ryuji found his voice at last. “I mean, we don’t know exactly what is going to happen to the real him. But Shiho…we have to. We have to do it, for her. And everyone else that he’s abused.”

Ren nodded, his expression impossible to read.

Morgana looked at both boys and then said, “Alright. Let’s do this. Tomorrow, after school? Meet up on the roof?”

Ann looked from the cat to the two other students in the space with a confused expression. “Why do I feel like you guys are talking to Ren’s cat?”

-

Nothing could have made less sense than the first trip for Ann into Kamoshida’s Palace. The towering spires of the castle, blending into the dark sky behind it, were as cryptic as they were horrifying. But even the imposing structure that protected Kamoshida’s dark desires wasn’t as unnerving as the shadows that roamed everywhere. She was thankful for Ren, Ryuji and Morgana being aware that she was still adjusting. They made sure to detail what was going on while they began their journey; if it weren’t so bizarre, it would have been humorous to see the boys leaping and sliding around the enemies, hollering explanations to her as they went.

After catching up to the point where she at least _mostly_ understood what was going on, Ann began to ask some deeper questions to Morgana. For the most part, she wanted to know what had happened to the two boys when they first entered Kamoshida’s Palace.

“The clothes are sort of a visual representation of what each person thinks of justice. For Ryuji, he has a skull mask and punk-rock clothing. I’m guessing that’s what Ryuji thinks of when he thinks of a rebel.”

“Or a BADASS!” Ryuji shouted while he swung a baseball bat into the Shadow in front of them. The swing paused for a split-second when the bat made contact, before the Shadow disappeared in a puff of dark grey dust.

Ann rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide the twitching corners of her mouth. “And Ren?”

“More of a thief, by the looks of it. Black coat with tails, red gloves, masquerade mask…seems like someone who would be a bit of a rebel against authority.”

Ren looked back with a grin. Different than the grin he wore in class when he got a question right, or when he made a sarcastic remark to Ryuji. This smirk was as cocky as it could get.

“Do personalities change as well?” Ann said this a bit quieter to Morgana, out the side of her mouth. Both her and the cat were watching Ren. The thief backflipped over the Shadow that thought it had caught Ren off guard, and one red glove gripped the mask of the Shadow while the other red glove pulled at Ren’s own mask.

“ _PIXIE!”_

Ann winced as a fairy swooped out of the blue flames that had engulfed Ren’s mask. The pixie’s attire and look would have been fit for a children’s cartoon, but the evil grin and eyes were murderous. With a snap of her small fingers, the monster had sent a swirl of green wind that tore the Shadow apart.

“I wouldn’t say that they change…it’s more just the truest version of ourselves. Think of the all the times that you’ve played out a scenario in your head where you are confident and bold. You don’t hold back. Here, you get to live that scenario out.”

“So when we see Kamoshida here…?”

Morgana nodded. “Yeah, it’ll be pretty gross. He’ll be the person that he thinks of himself as, but it’s pretty warped.”

As if on cue, a laugh rippled past the group. A laugh that carried malice, lust, and pride. There, in front of the team, stood Kamoshida himself.

“Pretty warped? I think you meant to say pretty ripped! Look at me! How can any of these girls stay away?” His eyes scanned over the group, coming to a rest on the bouncing gold curls of the student behind the boys. “Ann? I thought I left you inside…whatever. Come over here, darling.”

 _Oh my God, ewww._ Ann wrinkled her nose. “I would never – you sick…you disgust me.”

Kamoshida just chuckled. “You do like to play hard to get every now and then. That’s okay, I like the _chase_ …”

Ann’s disgust started to turn into anger.

“…and I’m sure you’ll be back to normal soon. Now, get away from the hooligan and the criminal. They’re pieces of shit, not worthy of your time. Only I have that right.”

The anger had turned into full blown rage.

“Shut. Up.” Ann’s voice was shaking. “Shut…shut up. SHUT UP!”

The last words turned into a scream, and something like annoyance flicked across Kamoshida’s face. “Ugh, I hate what you’re like this. And thanks to you being stubborn, now I can’t entertain myself with plan B.”

 _Plan B?_ Realization dawned on Ann. _…Shiho…_

Ren, Ryuji and Morgana barely had time to step away from Ann when a swirl of fire erupted from the ground around her. The heat wave given off by Ann’s sheer rage was only surpassed by the quite literal heat that she seemed to be exuding.

Morgana’s eyes widened, and Ryuji gave a small laugh and turned back towards Kamoshida. “You are so ‘effing done for, Kamoshida.”

Following Ryuji’s lead, Morgana stepped up and drew a cutlass that he pointed straight at the gym teacher. Ren stood in line, his thumb and forefinger resting on his mask and the same cunning smirk gracing his lower face. Finally, Ann’s heels came to a rest at the end of the line of friends. Her uniform had disappeared, leaving in its place a skintight red body suit that traced up her form to a matching red cat-shaped mask. Or at least, where a cat-shaped mask would have been in Ann wasn’t holding it. Flames danced around her hand as she let out an earth-shattering shout.

_CARMEN!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a ton to anyone who's been reading this! It's been pretty fun to just kinda write this stuff down, and definitely makes me appreciate how hard everyone else on this site must work on their own stories (especially some of the ones that are like 60, 70 chapters. That's amazing). Some of the earlier chapters might be a touch shorter, but I've been working on the next few and the length does get a bit longer. Plus, I noticed that the pacing may seem a bit fast. I hope I'm not skipping stuff that people really like to read about, but I figured that repeating some of the same scenes over that people have probably read or played a handful of times by now, might slow the story down. 
> 
> Thanks again for checking this work out! I've got the next two chapters mostly ready, so I hope to have them up soon. 
> 
> Also as a side note, I caught the double chapter thing that happened with Chapter 1/Chapter 0. It looks kinda goofy, but I decided to leave it there since 0 is technically the Arcana number for the Fool. All the other chapters will just stick to using whatever chapter number this site gives it.


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